ASSOU elections 2013: take a leadership role on campus next year

Editor’s Note: The following article has been edited since publication. Student government officers are awarded a monthly stipend, not a monthly salary. Additionally, there are more than 20 positions in student government next year, but only 20 are available for election. There are nine director positions and three judicial positions which are appointed.

If you’re interested in campus politics, student power, or simply making your university a better place, April 22 is a date you’ll want to remember.

That’s the deadline for filing a candidacy application to be part of the Associated Students of Southern Oregon University next year.

ASSOU is the student government of SOU, responsible for representing and advocating for the student body. All positions for the 2013-2014 academic year are open, students can run for student body president, vice president, or senator.

“We have an unbelievable number of quality candidates running right now,” said Kyle Pate, ASSOU director of communications and organizer of the upcoming election. “I am currently aware of at least three people running for president, which hasn’t happened at SOU for years.”

Members of ASSOU enjoy many benefits, a monthly stipend being one of them. More importantly though, serving in student government allows you to develop leadership skills and prepares you for a career outside of college.

There are currently 20 positions up for election within ASSOU for next year; president, vice president, and 18 senator positions. The president and vice president must run on the same ticket. Each senator position is intended to represent a specific group on campus and therefore has different requirements. For a full list of available positions, visit the ASSOU website.

Each ASSOU position comes with a monthly stipend. The student body president stipend is $3,000 a term, the vice president stipend $2,200 a term, and the senator stipend is $616 a term. The stipend for each position is relative to the amount of responsibilities.

(Update: The ASSOU Senate revised the stipend amounts during their April 16 meeting. The ASSOU President now makes $2,750 a term instead of $3,000, and ASSOU senators had their stipend increased from $616 a term to $630 a term. The ASSOU vice president stipend remains the same.)

Applications for candidacy are due Monday, April 22 at 5 p.m. Forms can be found on ASSOU’s website. For more information, visit the James K. Sours Student Leadership Center in the Stevenson Union or visit ASSOU’s Facebook page.